Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade
British abolitionist society campaigning against transatlantic slave trade and slavery.
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Narrative
The Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade operated with a profound moral imperative, driven largely by Quaker and Evangelical Christian principles. Its methodology was innovative for its time, pioneering mass public campaigning strategies. This included extensive data collection on the realities of the slave trade, disseminating pamphlets, organizing public meetings, gathering petitions signed by hundreds of thousands, and orchestrating boycotts of slave-produced goods like sugar.
The organization fostered innovation by creating a systematic and highly coordinated advocacy movement. It successfully brought together diverse groups, including religious figures, politicians, and intellectuals, to focus on a single, ambitious goal. The 'scenius' emerged from a shared moral outrage against the injustice of slavery and a collective belief in the power of sustained public pressure to influence policy. Environmental factors included the strong current of religious revivalism in Britain, which provided a moral framework and a network of committed individuals, alongside the proximity to Parliament in London, enabling direct lobbying efforts against a deeply entrenched economic system.
Key People
Founders/Key Members
- Granville Sharp
- Thomas Clarkson
- William Wilberforce
- Josiah Wedgwood
- James Ramsay
- Philip Sansom
- George Harrison
- William Dillwyn
- Samuel Hoare Jr.
- John Barton
- Joseph Woods
- Richard Phillips
- Joseph Gurney Bevan
- John Cartwright
- James Martin
- Henry Thornton
- William Smith
- Bennet Langton
Breakthroughs
- The Slave Trade Act 1807: Successfully lobbied for legislation that abolished the slave trade throughout the British Empire, significantly curtailing the transatlantic slave trade.
- Mass Public Campaigning: Pioneered modern techniques of public awareness, including widespread distribution of literature (pamphlets, testimonies), organizing petitions (some gathering hundreds of thousands of signatures), and consumer boycotts to sway public opinion and political action.
- Systematic Data Collection and Witness Testimony: Meticulously gathered and published extensive evidence and personal accounts from former slaves, sailors, and abolitionist sympathizers to expose the horrors and economic inefficiencies of the slave trade, providing irrefutable facts for parliamentary debates.
Related Entities
Influenced
- Anti-Slavery Society: Formed later to continue the fight for the complete abolition of slavery itself (not just the trade) within the British Empire and globally.
- Women's Abolitionist Groups: Inspired and supported the formation of independent women's groups, which played a crucial role in boycotts and petitioning, despite being excluded from formal membership in the main society.
Collaborated With
- Quaker Abolitionists: A significant number of the Society's founding members and supporters were Quakers, who had a long-standing commitment to anti-slavery efforts and provided critical organizational and financial backing.
Legislated By
- British Parliament: The ultimate target of the Society's lobbying and public pressure campaigns, which eventually passed the monumental Slave Trade Act of 1807 and subsequent abolition legislation.